Article

Received 01.01.1970

Revised 30.12.2025

Accepted 25.02.2026

Retrieved from Vol. 2, No. 1, 2026

Pages 40 -48

Orunbaeva, B., Zhumabaeva, A., Abdyrakhmanova, J., Arynov, Z., & Atamkulova , A. (2026). Changes in microflora with age in elderly women. Journal of Human Biology and Clinical Medicine, 2(1), 40-48. https://doi.org/10.63621/jhbcm/1.2026.40

Changes in microflora with age in elderly women

Bibigul Orunbaeva, Ainagul Zhumabaeva, Jazgul Abdyrakhmanova, Zamirbek Arynov, Aisalkyn Atamkulova

The ageing process is accompanied by profound changes in the body’s functional systems, including the digestive and microbiological spheres. Processes occurring in the intestinal microflora are of particular importance, as it plays a key role in maintaining homeostasis and immunological stability. The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of intestinal microbiological systems in elderly and senile women in the context of age-related changes in metabolic processes and a decrease in the body’s resistance. The study was conducted using traditional bacteriological methods of intestinal microflora analysis, including the isolation, quantitative assessment and identification of microorganisms on selective and differential diagnostic culture media in strict compliance with sanitary, hygienic and ethical standards. The analysis showed that women of geriatric age experience pronounced changes in the composition of the intestinal microbiota, characterized by a decrease in the number of representatives of the normal obligate flora and an increase in the proportion of conditionally pathogenic microorganisms, as well as yeast-like fungi of the genus Candida. Most of the subjects examined showed signs of grade I-II dysbiotic disorders, indicating a decrease in intestinal colonisation resistance. In a number of cases, the increase in the content of Candida fungi exceeded the reference values, indicating a tendency towards candidal transformation of the microbiocenosis. The changes identified reflect a disturbance in microbial homeostasis caused by the combined effects of age-related physiological and metabolic factors, as well as dietary characteristics. The results confirm that the intestinal microflora is a sensitive indicator of the body’s ageing processes and can be considered an important biomarker of age-related transformations and the general health status of elderly and senile women

intestinal microbiota, putrefactive bacteria, Candida, dysbiosis, gerontology, Uzgen district
  1. Ira R, Adwani J, Krishnan AO, Subramanian G, Yadav S, Shukla S, et al. Understanding aging through the lense of gut microbiome. Explor Res Hypothesis Med. 2024;9(4):294–307. DOI: 10.14218/ERHM.2024.00008
  2. Ghosh TS, Shanahan F, O’’Toole PW. The gut microbiome as a modulator of healthy ageing. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2022;19(9):565–84. DOI: 10.1038/s41575-022-00605-x
  3. Yang M, Zhai G, Li J, Song Y, Gao Y, Shi Y, et al. Systematic review and meta-analysis: Changes of gut microbiota before and after menopause. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2022;2022:3767373. DOI: 10.1155/2022/3767373
  4. Zhang Y, Wang X, Li W, Yang Y, Wu Z, Lyu Y, et al. Intestinal microbiota: A new perspective on delaying aging? Front Microbiol. 2023;14:1268142. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1268142
  5. Ragonnaud E, Biragyn A. Gut microbiota as the key controllers of healthy aging of elderly people. Immun Ageing. 2021;18:2. DOI: 10.1186/s12979-020-00213-w
  6. Zhang F, Aschenbrenner D, Yoo JY, Zuo T. The gut mycobiome in health, disease, and clinical applications in association with the gut bacterial microbiome assembly. Lancet Microbe. 2022;3(12):e969–83. DOI: 10.1016/S2666-5247(22)00203-8
  7. Deng L, Wu Y, Li X, Zhang J, Huang R, Chen Q, et al. Gut microbiota characteristics in healthy ageing and longevity: Evidence from elderly adults in China. Microorganisms. 2025;13(7):1657. DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms13071657
  8. Ai X, Huang C, Liu Q, Duan R, Ma X, Li L, et al. Gut microbiome dynamics and functional shifts in healthy aging: Insights from a metagenomic study. Front Microbiol. 2025;16:1629811. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1629811
  9. Wang Y, Qu Z, Chu J, Han S. Aging gut microbiome in healthy and unhealthy aging. Aging Dis. 2024;16:980–1002. DOI: 10.14336/AD.2024.0331
  10. World Health Organization. Ageing and health [Internet]. [cited 2025 November 12]. Available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/ageing
  11. Order of the Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic No. 421. On Holding a Seminar on Storage, Preparation of Nutrient Media, Quality Control of Research, and Office Work in Bacteriological Laboratories [Internet]. 2010 August 20 [cited 2025 February 19]. Available from: https://prg.kz/Document/?doc_id=30842501
  12. Order of the Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic No. 104. On Approval of Methodological Recommendations for Ensuring the Safety of Work in Laboratories when Working with Microorganisms of Pathogenicity Groups I-IV [Internet]. 2010 March 15 [cited 2025 March 16]. Available from: https://continent-online.com/Document/?doc_id=30973294
  13. The World Medical Association. Declaration of Helsinki: Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects [Internet]. [cited 2024 December 30]. Available from: https://www.wma.net/what-we-do/medical-ethics/declaration-of-helsinki/
  14. Sommer F, Bäckhed F. The gut microbiota – masters of host development and physiology. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2013;11(4):227–38. DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro2974
  15. Valles-Colomer M, Falony G, Darzi Y, Tigchelaar EF, Wang J, Tito RY, et al. The neuroactive potential of the human gut microbiota in quality of life and depression. Nat Microbiol. 2019;4(4):623–32. DOI: 10.1038/s41564-018-0337-x
  16. Zhernakova A, Kurilshikov A, Bonder MJ, Tigchelaar EF, Schirmer M, Vatanen T, et al. Population-based metagenomics analysis reveals markers for gut microbiome composition and diversity. Science. 2016;352(6285):565–69. DOI: 10.1126/science.aad3369
  17. Rinninella E, Raoul P, Cintoni M, Franceschi F, Miggiano GAD, Gasbarrini A, et al. What is the healthy gut microbiota composition? A changing ecosystem across age, environment, diet, and diseases. Microorganisms. 2019;7(1):14. DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms7010014
  18. Hur KY, Lee MS. Gut microbiota and metabolic disorders. Diabetes Metab J. 2015;39(3):198–203. DOI: 10.4093/dmj.2015.39.3.198
  19. Xu C, Zhu H, Qiu P. Aging progression of human gut microbiota. BMC Microbiol. 2019;19(1):236. DOI: 10.1186/s12866-019-1616-2
  20. Claesson MJ, Cusack S, O’Sullivan O, Greene-Diniz R, de Weerd H, Flannery E, et al. Composition, variability, and temporal stability of the intestinal microbiota of the elderly. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2011;108(Suppl 1):4586–91. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1000097107
  21. O’Toole PW, Jeffery IB. Gut microbiota and aging. Science. 2015;350(6265):1214–5. DOI: 10.1126/science.aac8469
  22. Calder PC, Bosco N, Bourdet-Sicard R, Capuron L, Delzenne N, Doré J, et al. Health relevance of the modification of low grade inflammation in ageing (inflammageing) and the role of nutrition. Ageing Res Rev. 2017;40:95–119. DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2017.09.001
  23. Fan Y, Pedersen O. Gut microbiota in human metabolic health and disease. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2021;19(1):55–71. DOI: 10.1038/s41579-020-0433-9
  24. Nieto MR, Rus MJ, Areal-Quecuty V, Lubián-López DM, Simon-Soro A. Menopausal shift on women’s health and microbial niches. npj Womens Health. 2025;3:3. DOI: 10.1038/s44294-024-00045-1